Thomas Cole's Empire: Consummation Of Empire

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Thomas Cole’s painting, The Course of Empire: Consummation of Empire, is based in America and has an immense amount of detail as well as being “archaeologically correct and based on known sources.” The painting is extremely pleasing to the eye because the variety of pastels used throughout the painting gives it a sense of tranquility and contentment. Thomas Cole’s painting also provokes curiosity by illustrations of different of details such as the placement of people on different levels, the use of land and water, and other details . Through Thomas Cole’s painting, The Course of Empire: Consummation of Empire he is able to show his views on the government and its future.
Thomas Cole swayed from passion to passion in his young life until he finally found his passion for painting when he was about 20. Thomas Cole was born in England in 1801 and moved to America in 1819 “in pursuit of a better life.” This is where Thomas Cole first found his immense love for painting. During his childhood, Thomas Cole dabbled in many different kinds of art including music, woodwork, and other unique art forms. When Thomas Cole …show more content…

In his oil painting The Course of Empire: Consummation of Empire, Thomas Cole paints a tall statue representing the current government and a white building that represents the future government on the left side that reaches high into the sky to convey a message about religion. The reason that Thomas Cole paints these two architectures taller that everything else in the painting is to show how connected the government is with God. The higher the building is the closer it is to God. When fellow artists “interpreted his work, they emphasize[d] his use of historical and religious themes.” Havingaving statues, hills, and the government building be higher than any other structure Thomas Cole is predicting that the government will always be closely connected to